Why Can't We Be Friends?
by Fullmetal224
Summary: REVAMPED. Envy is taken in by Edward and Alphonse after being found battered on their doorstep. Set after the events of Brotherhood and slightly AU. Contains spanking and may be a bit OOC.
1. The Arrival

It had been about a year since the great war ended. Father and the other homunculi were defeated, a few dead and others still missing. The country was now at peace. Edward Elric, the hero of the war, the people, and the youngest State Alchemist in Amestris sat in an armchair near the fireplace of his and Al's new home, gazing at the book he was reading without taking in any of it. He was thinking, as he often did when it was quiet. The only sounds in the house were Alphonse in the kitchen making stew for dinner, and outside a storm brewing as rain fell and thunder rumbled in the distance. Wouldn't be long now before the brunt of it was on top of them.

Ed sighed, realizing he had been simply staring at the middle of the book for the past 20 minutes simply thinking. Father they knew was dead. No doubt. But a couple homunculi they didn't know if they were completely gone…

Especially-

Ed's thoughts were interrupted as there was a knock on their door. The rain was hitting full force now, and the thunder louder than it had been. Who in their right mind would be outside in this?

"I'll get it!" Al called from the kitchen, leaving Ed to stew. The younger brother opened the side door that lead to the kitchen and gasped at who was there.

Envy…though definitely not as confident as he used to be. The homunculus looked beaten, bruises and dried blood all over him and dirt on his skin and clothes. He was also wet and shaking like a leaf from the cold. Al debated with himself as the two stood in complete silence. Envy's eyes were wide and pleading, and his cheeks even though it was raining looked like he had been crying.

Swallowing, Al tensed himself and let Envy in, guiding him inside from the cold and closing the door with some effort behind them. He had no clue if this was a trick, but he assumed Envy wouldn't want to look so pathetic in front of people he considered weak.

Almost as soon as he stepped inside, Envy's shaking legs gave out, and he fell to the floor with a thud. Ed heard this and came running.

"Al! What happened-!" He couldn't finish his sentence as he saw who it was on their kitchen floor, Al standing over the body just as shocked. He wasn't dead but fainted from the cold and exhaustion. He probably hadn't eaten well in who knows how long.

"How…?" Ed looked from Al to Envy and back, not sure how to process this. Kneeling, Al checked Envy over, noting a few injuries but nothing major and how cold he was from the rain. He must had been out there for hours.

"Brother, what should we do?" Al asked, looking up to his big brother. Ed stood in thought, already contemplating what to do about their impromptu guest. Neither of them would feel right if they threw him out now, but then again, they couldn't tell if this was a trick.

"We need to at least clean him up. No way are we putting him in a bed like this." Ed finally said, bending down to pick Envy up with Al's help. The two carried him to the bathroom and set him down in the tub before beginning to wash him off. The two were careful around any bruises or cuts, hoping none of them were infected as they worked. Soon enough Envy was clean, his clothes already put in the wash by Ed.

"I think we have some spare pajamas in the closet." Al offered, going to get them as Ed watched over Envy. So, this was what happened to him…honestly some of Ed didn't know what to think of it. He hadn't regenerated at all from his wounds, some of which looked days old or even weeks, but then again Ed didn't know how dedicated Envy could be to a trap.

Al soon came back with the pajamas, and the two (rather awkwardly) got to dressing him before taking him to the guest room. Setting him down in the bed, Al drew up the covers to Envy's chin, and the homunculus looked more peaceful than he had on the kitchen floor.

"So, what do we do now, brother?" Al turned to Ed, who looked as serious as ever.

"We wait. If he was faking sleep he would have woken up while we were washing him, but I'm not taking any chances of him waking up first. We'll take shifts."

Al nodded, agreeing with the plan. "I'll take the first one. You might want to call Mr. Mustang and tell him you can't come in tomorrow."

Ed smirked, and left the room to do just that, thinking what he was going to use as an excuse other than 'Envy dropped on our doorstep'.

Meanwhile Al stayed behind and sat in a chair across from Envy, watching for any movement and listening for any signs of him waking. It was now his turn to think about what to do next.

Ed soon came back with two bowls of stew, setting one on the desk where Al was and holding the other for himself, looking over at Envy as he ate.

"So, any clue what we're gonna do with the palm tree?" Ed asked.

"Nope...I do kinda feel bad for him though. He has nowhere to go if we kick him out."

"Wait, you're saying you feel bad for a homunculus who killed an entire civilization, killed one of our best friends and tried to kill us on several occasions!?"

"B-but I mean…he was just following orders, wasn't he? Maybe…maybe if he had some good guidance, he could be different!"

"Al! You're saying you want to keep him here!?"

"Where else is he going to go!?" Ed flinched when Al raised his voice. He wasn't used to his brother being loud, and it honestly kind of scared him…

And it was true. If they didn't take him in, he wouldn't have any home to go to. Just like them way back when…

Ed sighed. "Fine. But when he wakes up, he's going to pay for all he's done. And we'll be setting some strict rules for him."

Al didn't know what Ed meant by that, but judging by the time, he figured they had a lot of time to talk it out and come up with a plan.


	2. The Plan

The evening passed by slowly for the Elrics and their "guest." The brothers decided to wait out the night, sometimes napping for a while before jerking awake. It was hard to sleep when they knew a homunculus was among them.

During the night they moved to the dining table, so they wouldn't wake Envy, and so they could talk without having to be nearly silent. Ed's head was reeling with what to do, the gears in his brain turning fast with thoughts whirling, wondering how to handle this. They couldn't keep him, surely not. This was ENVY they were talking about. The homicidal, cruel and sadistic homunculus who was responsible for not only the fall of the Ishvalans, but the death of their best friend's parents and Hughes. And who knew how many others were killed that they didn't know about…

Al was thinking as well, staring down at the table sadly. He wanted to keep Envy, he really did. He had looked so broken down, so lost and scared when he came to them, they couldn't just throw him out. No, maybe they could teach him how to be good. Maybe they could help him find a better way to live. Rehabilitate him, even…

The two sat in silence for a long while, until about two hours had passed without a word. Ed finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"We can't keep him."

Upon hearing that, the younger brother's head shot up.

"What do you mean!? We can't just throw him out!"

Ed glared at Al.

"Al, this isn't like keeping a cat! We're talking about a homunculus! Someone who happily killed, tortured and maimed numerous people!" 

"Even so, he was just following orders! We can help him, brother! We can make him a better person!"

"People like that don't change, Al! I'm not even sure if he's really injured; he's probably in there waiting for us to fall asleep so he can kill us." Ed pointed at the door to the guest room as he said this. It seemed like the only plausible explanation to him.

Al was not convinced in the slightest. He went silent for a few moments, staring at his brother with determination.

"Ed… He's injured. When he came to us, he looked scared. He was dirty, bloody and beaten. Plus… why would he act so pathetic in front of us? Wouldn't it be easier to come to the door and kill us when we opened it? It's just not like him to seem… weak."

Al bowed his head, staring back down at the wooden table. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I know what he did. I know nothing can fix it. But… we should at least give him a chance, brother. Please?"

Ed sat in silence as his brother explained, and the elder Elric sighed. Al was right. Envy was way too prideful to look so pathetic in front of humans. He'd have to be desperate to put up an act like that, especially for this long. He didn't even flinch when he was undressed and bathed, something Ed was SURE he would have broken the farce over.

"…Fine. We'll at least keep him until he recovers. After that, we'll see what happens."

If it had not been the middle of the night, Al would have cheered. Instead, he smiled widely in relief and joy, thankful that it seemed his older bro DID have a heart.

"But…" Ed raised a finger, making Al's smile drop, replaced by a look of confusion. "I am going to be very strict with him. And I expect you to be too. If I see one hair out of place, he's gone. Got it?"

Al nodded, understanding. They still wanted to be careful; they had no clue what Envy was capable of, even in this state.

"So, I guess we should think of some kind of ground rules?" Al suggested.

Ed nodded.

"Definitely. And when he wakes up, we all need to have a long talk about them. I'll be showing him what he can expect if he steps a toe out of line."

"Brother…" Al whined. "Don't be so mean. I understand having consequences, but…maybe give him some room to breathe? This is gonna be new for all of us; I've never really had to enforce anything, you know…"

This was true. Al was always the one following rules and taking orders, not really one for leading or anything of the sort. And Ed had a feeling Envy would be difficult to manage on his own…

"Ok, ok. I promise, I won't be too harsh."

And with that, the brothers began coming up with rules and consequences for their new guest, who, meanwhile, still slept peacefully, curled up in the warm bed, unaware of what awaited him on the next morning…


	3. The Plan in Action

Morning light peeked through the window's blinds, and the birds outside sang gently their waking song. Envy slowly gained consciousness, wincing at the light before stirring slightly in bed, the comforter so nice and warm and everything around him so quiet….

The homunculus then realized…what had happened. Opening his eyes, he saw he was in a room, and the last thing he remembered was seeing Alphonse before everything went dark. Suddenly awake, Envy quickly sat up in bed, only to grunt and wince as the bruises made themselves known as they had gotten stiff overnight.

"Don't move so fast. You don't want to irritate your wounds."

He'd know that voice anywhere. Envy gasped and looked over to see Edward Elric sitting in a corner of the room and looking right at him, right leg crossed over his left and his arms across his chest. It was as if he had planned that posture…

"You-you were watching me?"

"Well, I'm not exactly going to sleep easy when you're around." Ed shrugged, slowly rising from the chair. The older brother walked slowly to Envy and put a hand on his forehead, the latter too surprised to say anything in protest. Finding no sign of fever or sickness, Ed removed his hand, somewhat relieved. He didn't know if Envy could even get sick, though between last night and this moment it was clear he wasn't able to heal himself.

After an awkward moment of silence, Envy decided to speak.

"Where's your brother?"

"Probably making breakfast by now. It's almost 9am. We took turns watching over you in case you tried anything."

Envy's eye twitched. That sounded creepy…

"Well if it wasn't obvious, I'm in no position to do anything to you. Though, I guess I can't blame you for being suspicious…"

Ed nodded.

"Exactly. Now c'mon. We have a lot to _discuss_…"

Envy shivered at the way he said 'discuss', feeling a swarm of butterflies enter his stomach for some odd reason…Slowly he got out of the bed, taking note of the white pajamas he had on before following Ed to the dining room. It had been some time since he saw the Fullmetal Alchemist, but was he always this tall? Or did Envy shrink somehow? Either way, the homunculus was only to Ed's chest in height now, and at this notion Envy blushed. So this was what it felt like to be shorter…

His thoughts were interrupted by Al calling to them. "Ah, good morning! Are you feeling any better?" Al was in the midst of finishing some eggs, based on the smell, a couple plates with bacon and toast set aside on the counter.

Envy continued to blush, not used to someone asking if he was ok. He normally never had to worry about that.

"Err, yeah…A little"

Al nodded, smiling before plating the eggs and serving everyone, sitting down himself. The actual meal was spent in tense silence, Ed treating it as if it were any other meal and Envy feeling on-edge the entire time. Al occasionally looked at the two, wondering who was going to speak first since Ed had told him he wanted to lead the discussion on what to do with Envy.

After everyone had finished eating, Al sat in waiting as Ed prepared himself for what he was about to say, Envy fidgeting a bit in his seat from nerves. Why was he so nervous? He never was so anxious before, so…why now? Possibly because he used to have somewhere to go, powers to help him survive and stunning charisma. Now, now he had nothing. Well, the charisma maybe, but the other two things were long gone.

"So, Al and I talked a bit last night on what to do with you." Ed's voice ripped through the silence, and it was scary how calm he was compared to how he used to be. "Injured or not, you and your pals killed a lot of people. We had to think long and hard before deciding to help you. To tell the truth, Al had to convince me."

Envy nodded. He figured it would take a lot of thinking and convincing for anyone to take him in…

"We decided to let you stay at least until your injuries heal. After that we can see where we stand."

Al interjected. "I had mentioned wanting to help rehabilitate you…"

"But your injuries come first." Ed finished Al's sentence for him. "I'm not about to waste time on a lost cause. If you behave while you're recovering, we can see about that."

Envy scowled a little at the notion of rehabilitation. He may have been good at taking orders from Father, but at least the orders he gave were the kind he liked. Kill this person, capture that person, make him talk…it was fun to the homunculus. Now these two wanted to mold him into a 'better person'? Even Envy had no clue how that would be possible.

"And what if I say no to this little rehab plan?"

Ed closed his eyes and sighed. He then pointed behind him, to the door Envy had hobbled through last night.

"Then you can walk out that door right now and never cross our paths again."

The silence that followed was long and tense. Envy had a choice to make. If he stayed, he'd get a roof over his head, food, and recovery from his injuries, but that also meant he'd probably have to go with this plan. If he left, he'd be back where he was before he came here. Alone, cold and fending for himself. Gritting his teeth, Envy thought long and hard on this, weighing his options and debating with himself before sighing.

"Guess I have no choice. Fine, I'll go along with this."

Al smiled, relieved that this went better than expected. Ed nodded, also impressed with how smoothly things were going so far and continued. "Alright then. I guess now we can set down what we expect from you."

Envy raised a brow, curious as to what he meant.

"So, like rules?" He hated the thought of how many rules the two were going to have for him. Maybe it would have been better if he'd walked out…

Ed nodded. "Yes, rules. Since this is now your home, the room you were in will be your room. We expect you to keep it as clean as possible. Also, no going into Al's room or my room without our permission. If we tell you to do something or not to do something, you'll listen. No lying, stealing, or disrespect. If you go out, curfew is 8 and you have 20 minutes to get your ass back here or we'll find you. And you best hope we don't. And killing is a one-way ticket out of here. No exceptions."

Al nodded along with each rule Ed laid out, subtly letting Envy know he agreed with them as the two had spent a good part of the night coming up with them together. It was best so that Envy couldn't play the brothers off each other and wiggle around them. Envy groaned and crossed his arms, pursing his lips as he listened.

"And as with all rules, there are consequences for breaking them." He paused to gauge the curious scowl on Envy's face before continuing. "Lying or excessive swearing will get your mouth washed out with soap, minor offenses like disrespect or tantrums will earn you a time-out, and for more serious offences you'll be spanked."

Envy's eyes immediately widened. These were punishments for children? Washing his mouth?! Time-Out!? _**SPANKING!?**_ His mouth hung open by the time Ed finished listing the punishments off, his eyes the size of dinner plates as he tried to find the right combination of words to tell the Elric's how much "no" this was.

"Y-You can't be serious! I'm way too old to be spanked! Or…ANY of these!"

"Doesn't matter. If you break any of our rules you can expect to be punished."

Al interrupted, trying to avoid any conflict between his brother and their guest.

"But, we'll be fair. We won't punish you for every little thing."

Envy groaned, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes as if it would somehow change their minds. He immediately tensed up though when Ed stood, pushing his chair in and walking over to Envy.

"Speaking of, you have a spanking coming for all the people you killed and hurt. Call it an initiation if you want."

Al looked sorry for Envy; it seemed like he wasn't all for that part, but Ed won out on that argument…

"W-What!? No! No way! Y-You can't-!"

"I can, and I will. Now come on."

Before Envy could protest further or think about trying to get away, Ed grabbed his wrist and began dragging him to his room. Envy still fought however, at first trying to pry Ed's fingers from his wrist and then digging his heels into the floor. It all seemed to be for nothing though, as Ed was easily able to get Envy in the room before sitting on the bed and making Envy stand in front of him, a firm grip still on his wrist.

"This is how it works. If you do something bad, as soon as possible you will be punished and the whole thing will not be mentioned again. After this, your past will be behind all of us and you can start with a clean slate." Ed explained, looking Envy in the eye.

The homunculus was sweating a little and shaking from nerves. He had never been spanked before, and despite being burned, scarred, beaten, and many other things, at least he had strength and healing to counter them. Now he had the durability of a human, which seemed to frighten him more than anything.

"I- "

"Yes. It will hurt. A lot, in some cases. But it will be a small price to pay to start fresh, won't it?"

Envy paused and looked down at his feet. "Equivalent Exchange…" He mumbled. Ed always did think in terms of alchemy, even when he couldn't do any anymore.

Ed nodded. "In a way, yeah. Now, over you go."

Without another word and without giving Envy time to protest and stall further, Ed lead Envy over his left knee, using his right one to trap Envy's legs. Envy was shaking again, his bottom quivering under his pajama pants and his hands dangling just off the floor.

"I'll give you a warm up first since this is your first time," Ed warned, raising his hand and letting it fall with a POP against Envy's bottom.

It wasn't hard, more like a very firm pat than a real spank but it was enough to make Envy grunt and wince. Ed continued to smack like this for a while, Envy clenching his teeth and occasionally grunting and grimacing at the harder swats, but all in all this seemed to be bearable…maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

However just as he thought that, like a machine, Ed started to pick up the pace, going slightly faster and with more power. There was no doubt these were REAL spanks. Envy gasped at the first one and began to clench his hands into fists and unclench them again, trying to distract himself. When that failed, he couldn't help but kick what little he could, and he grabbed at Ed's pants, clutching the material tightly.

"Oww! Ow! Ahh!" Envy was now more vocal as the warm up ended, and to him it was a miracle he hadn't began crying, though he felt the prickle of tears in the back of his eyes. He panted, thankful it seemed to be over…

"Now then, onto the main event." That line made Envy's head whip around to face Ed the best he could.

"What-!?"

"You thought it was over. Nuh-uh, we are far from done, Envy."

At that point, Al came in carrying a wooden hairbrush, at which Envy whimpered and crossed his ankles. Ed took the hairbrush and set it beside him, nodding his thanks to Al before the younger brother left. Ed then sighed, opening his legs slightly and hooking a thumb into Envy's pajama pants, intending to lower them.

"AH! H-hey, leave those alone!" Envy yelled, reaching back to grab for them only to have Ed catch his wrist and slowly place it back in front of him.

"Keep your hands in front of you, otherwise I'll restrain them too."

Envy hated being trapped, so he obeyed. Reluctantly, he watched as Ed lowered his bottoms to his knees and closed his legs over them again. Envy turned to look back at the carpet below as Ed raised his hand once more, not wanting to see this part.

SMACK!

"AAOOWW!"

This hurt MUCH worse than the warm up, and Envy bucked up in response. Ed held him firmly in place though, and kept the spanking going at a much higher speed than the warm up.

Meanwhile Envy's real struggles began, the homunculus clutching the comforter for dear life and his toes beating into the carpet, his bottom trying to move left and right to avoid the punishing blows but since he was trapped it was no good. He clenched his teeth again, trying to focus on not crying or giving in to this pain but he was finding himself unable to.

"AaaaAAAHH!"

With that wail, the tears started flowing freely down Envy's cheeks, unable to keep them in anymore as he let all of his pride flow out the window with them. He even tried to push himself off Ed's lap, but this once again proved to be fruitless.

Ed's voice finally cut in, his hand slowing down so Envy could hear.

"Why are you being spanked, Envy?"

"NNNGH! S-STOOOP!"

Ed gave him five stinging swats to his thighs, making Envy squeal.

"That's not what I asked. Why are you being spanked?"

"AAHHAAA! I-I KILLED PEOPLE! H-HURT THEM! PL-PLEEEAASE!"

"It's not nice when you're the one being hurt, is it?"

"NOOO! PLEASE-PLEASE STOP!"

Deciding it was time to finish up, Ed picked up the brush and placed it on Envy's bottom, rubbing it on his bottom to let him know of the change in implement. The cool wood on his burning rear made Envy wince and whimper, and he was sure he wouldn't sit again after this.

"That's right. You hurt and killed a lot of people, Envy. You're lucky that you came to us, 'cause I don't think anyone else would have given you the chance we are. At the moment, I still don't think you can change." Ed raised the brush high, now aiming for Envy's sensitive sitting areas. "I honestly hope you can prove me wrong."

With that, the smacking began anew, the brush biting into Envy's most sensitive undercurves and making him howl. Ed, in truth, didn't like to hear Envy cry so, but he needed to make sure Envy knew he meant business and would do whatever it took to make sure he stayed on the right path.

"WAAAAAAAHHH! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRYY! P-PLEASE FORGIVE MEEE!"

After twenty-five swats, Ed sighed and dropped the brush, his arm sore from the ordeal. His left hand moved to rub Envy's back in soothing circles, the homunculus still crying as if he were still being swatted as his bottom radiated an angry red.

"It's ok, Envy. It's all over now…Shhhh…"

After a few moments, Envy's crying slowed, as he realized he wasn't being smacked anymore. Ed took this moment to gently lift Envy up, being careful of any injuries, and sat him carefully on his lap for a hug, both arms wrapping around him and his left hand continuing the soothing motions.

Envy was surprised at first. After all he did, and after such a punishment, Fullmetal decided to hug him and comfort him… the homunculus buried his head in Ed's shoulder, wrapping his own arms tightly around him like a pillow. Ed could feel Envy's tears soaking his shirt, but he didn't mind as he smiled, glad Envy was able to accept his comfort.

Al, not hearing anymore smacking or crying, quietly opened the door to see Ed and Envy in their hug, and Ed looked up at his younger brother, smiling.

"Al, can you get Envy's clothes from the line?" Ed whispered. Al nodded smiling as well and went to do just that. Ed then turned to Envy.

"As for you- "

But all he heard was quiet snoring, the homunculus so exhausted from the smacking he fell right back asleep on top of Ed. Now stuck with a sleeping Envy on him, Ed had to fight to not chuckle too loudly.

"What am I gonna do with you?"


	4. The Agreement

**DISCLAIMER** Ok so this might be a bit long, but I am answering some questions regarding this story in particular.

A comment was made calling this story a "joke" and that it's basically "lol this character is being treated like a child". No. That is not happening here. Yes, this story centers around spanking, which is considered a fetish, but this story has a plot. Unlike the previous rendition I am not having Envy put in a diaper or being treated like an infant. This is a story of rehabilitation sprinkled with spanking every now and then.

Although this should be obvious, if you don't like/don't enjoy spanking, please do not read this. While it is not as prominent as my other stories, I do make it fairly common. It's kinda what I do.

Why these take so long. I am now 22 and have a full-time job as well as commission work as a freelance artist. Plus, these stories take time to make, and I want them to be the best they can be. I am unfortunately discontinuing a lot of my stories for this reason and because ideas/inspiration for them don't last. I at least feel lucky to get a chapter out every few weeks or months rather than a few years.

I do apologize if I seem rude during this, but this was on my chest for a good while as I wrote this chapter. I'm hoping to get the next one done asap as it does indeed have a spanking in it. (aka my favorite scenes to write if you couldn't tell~)

Now without further ado, the story.

When Envy woke up next, it was already around noon. The sun was higher in the sky over the small town, and there was a distant sound of farmers and work horses outside if one listened close enough. Envy stirred in the bed, Ed having to have carefully removed the homunculus from him to tuck him in.

He blinked, slowly opening his eyes and groaning as the sting in his rear reignited as he moved about. Rubbing his eyes with one fist, he sat up slowly, being wary of his sore posterior as he looked out the window.

"How long…?"

"Decided to join the land of the living, Sleeping Beauty?"

The voice made Envy jolt, and he turned to his right to see Ed standing at the doorway, having just come in to check on him. The military man crossed his arms with a slight smirk, resting one foot on the door frame in a typical "cool guy" pose. Envy blushed a slight pink, averting his smug gaze as his lip jutted out in a pout.

"Hey, I didn't exactly choose to fall asleep…"

Ed shrugged. "Maybe not, but I don't blame you for it. You probably haven't had a decent sleep in who knows how long. And after what just happened-"

"PLEASE say that was a one-time thing…"

Ed had to stop himself from laughing as he shook his head, his smile dropping a little. "Nope. Like we said you can expect that and more if you misbehave. So I'd tread very lightly if I were you."

Envy groaned, looking down at the carpet as Ed walked from the doorway, grabbing a chair from the desk near the corner of the room and dragging it closer, sitting down across from Envy. He looked rather mature-and slightly intimidating-when he sat. One leg crossed over the other, his hands folded on his knee and his gaze focused on the homunculus.

"Speaking of which, what happened to you? Last we ever saw of you you were a little parasite after Mustang tried to roast you alive."

Envy paused, his mouth hung open a little as he looked up at Ed, as if he were thinking of what to say. That had been painful, in more ways than one. Mustang was intent on killing him slowly and painfully, and if it hadn't been for Fullmetal, he definitely would have. But…what Ed said…

"I had a brush with death, I can say that. If he had snapped his fingers at that moment before you stepped in, I would have been done for. After I bit you, I squirmed down under the cracks you made and rebuilt myself. It took a lot of work, but with those transmuted soldiers all over the place I was able to at least scrounge up enough to get me back to this…but…" Envy looked down once more into his lap, his fingers fidgeting as the gears turned in his head in remembrance of that day. "By the time I killed the last one, I still hadn't recovered enough to heal myself completely. And by that time you guys had already defeated Father."

"You spent that whole time in the tunnels?"

"I had to! It was the safest place I could think of at the moment where I could regenerate. Even then, I can't heal, or use any of my powers. I can't even use alchemy…"

Ed put a finger to his chin in thought, glancing away as his index finger rubbed his chin.

"That explains a few things…so what did you do after you found out?"

Envy shrugged, rolling his eyes. "What else could I do? I stayed hidden as much as possible and fended for myself. Now that I think about it, I probably got these injuries trying to get food from stray animals and drunks…everything is a bit fuzzy."

Ed nodded, putting his hand back down onto his lap and his gaze now more focused on Envy. "You were probably knocked on the head a few times in the process. If you really can't heal we should get you to a doctor soon-"

"NO!"

Ed's eyes widened at the sudden outburst, and for once during this conversation he looked startled, almost fearful if it weren't for the fact, he knew Envy couldn't do much of anything right now. Envy realized what he did and said and winced as soon as the word left his lips. After a quick moment, he backpedaled, putting his hands up in front of him defensively.

"I…I mean…that won't be necessary. I'm sure this is just temporary."

Ed had to take a second or two to inwardly calm himself, raising an eyebrow as he processed what Envy said. "You sure about that? You just said you can't heal cause you don't have enough souls inside you."

"I-I know what I said!" Envy said defensively, his eyes narrowing. "But maybe…maybe I'm wrong about that!"

Ed made an unimpressed face, staring Envy down as he measured the amount of bullshit in his statement.

"How about no? We're not taking risks of you getting an infection or hurt any worse. As soon as possible you'll be seeing a doctor."

Envy groaned, slightly shuddering where he sat. Ed had no clue why he was so apprehensive, but right now might not be a good time to ask…

"For now though, I'm sure lunch is ready, so how about we go eat?"

Envy nodded, thankful for the change of subject as he followed Ed to the dining room, sitting gingerly in his seat as Al served the grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches and juice. Ed sat across from him, almost immediately digging in while Al put the dishes away in the sink before sitting and beginning to eat.

"So did Ed tell you about the chores?"

Envy rose a brow in confusion. "Chores? What chores?"

Al looked over at Ed, and it was almost comical how slowly he did it. He had this look of "really?" plastered on his face, and Ed could only look back and smile sheepishly.

"Really Ed?"

"I was kinda preoccupied…"

Al sighed. "Since you're going to be living with us, we figured it'd only be fair if we gave you some chores to do around the house."

Envy narrowed his eyes, glaring at the both of them. "So I'm to be your slave now?" He didn't see them as the type to do that, but with how power-hungry Ed seemed he wouldn't put it past him.

"No, nothing like that! You'll earn an allowance at the end of every week for all the chores you complete, as well as a little extra if you go the extra mile and do some without being asked."

Envy's gaze wavered, and he thought. Earning some money of his own in exchange for helping out…? That seemed fair. He was never given anything of his own before, so it could be a nice change.

"That makes sense…okay then."

Ed nodded. "Alright then! We have a plan. Al can make you a chart to show you your chores and any optional ones you can do."

With that agreement in place, the three of them finished lunch, Al going to make the chart and Envy going upstairs to his room. Passing by the full-body mirror, Envy grew curious, and turned his back to it, hooking his thumbs into the pajama pants and pulling them down just below his rear. The skin was still bright and red, a bit darker near his thighs where the brush hit. Tentatively, Envy reached down and touched it, wincing as he did so. Yup, definitely still hurt.

"Oww…"

If it were up to him, he thought as he pulled his pants back up, then he would never do anything to earn that again.

A week passed, and so far the arrangement was working well. Envy stayed out of trouble as much as possible, and the only trouble they had was Envy sometimes smarting off. He had a natural talent for smart-assery it seemed…

At the moment the homunculus was dusting the bookshelf, back in his normal outfit and glancing every now and again at the various alchemy books and mystery novels they had. He guessed they kept them since Al could still perform alchemy, but he couldn't guess who the mystery novels were for…

Al came into the room to check on their ward, smiling as he saw him working peacefully. He was gleeful that this was working so well, and he was sure Ed shared the same sentiment despite his demeanor around Envy.

"Nice job Envy!"

Envy flinched, blushing slightly at the praise. He turned to look at Al, wondering how long he had been there watching him. That was one thing Envy felt he would never get used to: praise.

"Eh…um, thanks."

"I just made some tea; would you like to take a little break and have some with me?"

Envy thought about it. A break would be nice, even though he hadn't been working for very long. He set the duster down on the shelf, before turning to Al.

"Uhm, sure."

At the table, Al took a sip of tea from his cup, the hot liquid sweet from the sugar he often put in it. He looked across from him at Envy, who sat somewhat cross-legged in his seat and just stared down at the cup, absentmindedly rubbing the handle with his thumb as he held it.

Al tilted his head, raising one brow slightly in worry.

"Is something wrong?"

Envy seemed to come out of his trance, finally looking up at Al with his eyes slightly wide. He glanced away, trying to find the right words to ask this with…

"Just…why are you being so nice?'

"What do you mean?"

Envy set down the cup.

"Pipsqu-I mean, Edward, was ready to throw me out on my head, but you talked him into letting me stay. Why? I killed and hurt so many people, even people you loved!" Envy tended to gesture as he spoke, spreading his arms out at the last sentence as if to emphasize how much he killed.

Al paused, before sighing, setting down his own cup in silence as if preparing himself to say something.

"I know…and as much as it hurts, I know there is nothing I can do to bring them back. I could pummel you to the ground and so can Ed, but we both know that won't solve anything."

Envy shivered involuntarily. That sounded rather foreboding coming from the nicer of the brothers…

"Ed may be a bit strict, and I think it's cause he does tend to live in the past still. He has trouble letting things go. But maybe once you show him that you can be a good person he'll lighten up."

At this, Envy looked back down at his cup, seeing his reflection in the tea looking back up at him. Someone who did so much wrong and yet is being given a second chance…something his comrades never got the chance to receive.

"Maybe that's also why to came to us."

Envy almost jolted up at that. Was he really that easy to read?

Al smiled a little.

"You knew Ed and I wouldn't let you die out there, didn't you?"

Envy paused, processing what Al said before glancing off to the side.

"Kind of…during the tunnel confrontation Edward…revealed something I thought no one would ever know. He understood me, he knew how I really felt…and I couldn't stand it."

"Sometimes the truth is hard to face…"

"So when I did finally get back on my feet, some part of me did know you guys wouldn't throw me out without hearing what I have to say."

Al nodded, smiling more as he picked up his cup once more. "Well I think you made the right choice."

Envy grimaced, shifting slightly in his seat. "My ass isn't so sure of that now…" While most of the pain and redness from his first spanking had dissipated, sitting was still a bit of an endeavor for him.

Ed, with almost perfect timing, came into the dining room, some papers under his arm and looking mildly disgruntled. When he saw the two at the table he seemed relieved.

"Oh, there you are. Al, I need a couple things from the market. Think you can get them for me? General Bastard is wanting this report asap since I couldn't come in and he's getting on my ass about it…"

"Oh, sure!" Al looked to Envy. "Envy, you wanna come? It'll be fun to get out of the house for a bit!"

Envy rose a brow, surprised he was even being considered to go with. Ed also winced, raising a hand to point to Envy.

"Al, are you sure you should take him out in public?"

"I don't see why not. No one except us and the military have seen him, and for all anyone in the military knows he's dead."

Envy had to bite his tongue from making any comment. Ed meanwhile contemplated, the gears almost visibly turning in his head as he considered any possibilities. The military wasn't prominent in Resembool, and it was true Envy was in disguise more often than not.

"Alright, but keep a very close eye on him."

Al nodded, standing up to get himself ready.

"Don't worry! I will!"


End file.
